Follow Through
by kiraiakuma
Summary: Sasuke falters, Sakura comes close. However, the voices of the past might just lend enough strength to follow through. And Naruto has to witness the end of dreams, hopes and madness.


Follow Through

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Yay oneshots. Might expand this at some point in the future, wouldn't hold my breath though.

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The chakra monstrosity Sasuke summoned was gone, as suddenly as it had appeared.

Sakura stared at him for a second, he was holding his eyes. She frowned. Probably some sort of problem from overuse.

He was vulnerable, maybe even blind...

Decision made she jumped. She ignored the girls confused cries. All that mattered was Sasuke.

He was... sick. She had known that, had known for a long time.

Silently she ran across the underside of the bridge, directly above Sasuke. He was wiping his eyes, trying to clear them. Good.

Kakashi had spotted her, but it was too late.

She had promised she would tell Naruto about killing Sasuke. But in the end she had chickened out, she hadn't wanted him to know. He didn't need to know. He didn't have to carry that burden.

She dropped towards Sasuke, preparing her kunai.

Sasuke, he wasn't always... at the academy... as team 7...

A few more feet... then... her hand was shaking.

How could he... how could she...

She landed lightly, her arm reared back, preparing for the strike.

He had noticed, but he was too slow, too surprised. All she had to do was follow through...

But she couldn't...

"JUST DO IT!" A voice shouted, angrily. And something took over, something she had felt only once before.

Her arm snapped forward, just as Sasuke finished his slow turn.

She could feel the kunai striking flesh, see the blood erupting form his chest, the utter shock, as his eyes widened in disbelieve. But her inner self, the one she hadn't heard for years, was merciless.

No, she closed her eyes, and willed control to return. She, herself, was merciless. She continued on, driving the kunai in to the hilt, then further, pumping chakra into her arm.

On the way she could feel bones giving way.

This wasn't the Sasuke she had known.

She twisted the blade.

This wasn't the Sasuke that had protected Naruto.

At least one lung had been punctured by her punch.

This wasn't even the Sasuke they had met at Orochimaru's base.

She briefly spiked her chakra, rupturing a few billion cells, destroying even more lung tissue, more than enough damage that he wouldn't be able to recover.

No, this Sasuke was a creature of madness, driven insane by the tragedy he experienced, a mad beast that had to be taken down. For their sake as well as his.

She pulled her hand out of his chest.

Was she crying?

She felt the tears run down her face, as Sasuke slowly fell backwards. His eyes stating forward, empty, dead.

"Goodbye, Sasuke." She whispered, falling to her knees.

It hurt, why did it hurt so much.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. Kakashi looked down on her.

"I had to..." She muttered. She could hear her own voice shaking. Kakashi just nodded, his entire face heavy with regret.

"He was so... mad. At the world..." She continued. "He couldn't..."

"I know." Kakashi said, as he drew her up, and pulled her into a hug. "I know. I'm sorry."

- - -

Naruto ran, he was nearly there, he could feel it. Sakura, Kakashi and Sasuke.

Just a few more jumps.

He swerved around a tree and jumped down, before him stood a bridge, badly damaged. And below that, stood Sasuke, in front of him Kakashi.

Sasuke was rubbing his eyes, obviously having some problems with them.

And above Sasuke, Sakura ran on the ceiling of the bridge, kunai at the ready.

He wanted to scream for her to stop, but he was too far away still. So he started running again, just as Sakura dropped behind Sasuke.

In sage mode he could make out her face, as she feel towards Sasuke, he had made it only a tenth of the way, when she landed, her hand was shaking. She wouldn't, couldn't follow through. He nearly rejoiced, but he still had to reach them. Who knew what

Her expression changed, her eyes wide, wild, she was snarling.

He could feel his own eyes widen in shocked horror, as she plunged the kunai in Sasuke's chest. It was over so fast. One second Sasuke raised his hands to deflect the blow, then he was falling backwards, a gaping hole in his chest.

Naruto stumbled to a stop, watching in muted horror as Sakura fell to her knees.

Why? How could she? She loved him! She loved Sasuke, how could she kill him?

He barely registered Kakashi appearing behind Sakura.

He didn't understand. He knew she loved Sasuke, he could see it when she confessed to him. She was lying to herself then. Trying to convince herself that she didn't love Sasuke anymore.

But... then she shouldn't have killed him. You didn't kill those you loved.

He watched her silently, as she cried, holding onto Kakashi.

It hurt, seeing her like that. It hurt more because that just confirmed that she had loved Sasuke. And he knew it was his fault. If he had brought Sasuke back, like he promised. If he had been faster.

And what was even worse, that he was glad she killed Sasuke. That was the worst. He was glad!

Because, he didn't have to kill him. Because, he didn't have to make that decision anymore. Because it was over. Finally over. There would be no more hunting Sasuke, no more thinking about what to say, no more hoping, desperately hoping that his words would be enough.

He was a horrible friend. This was unacceptable, he couldn't feel glad. Shouldn't feel that relive. Shouldn't cry with those feelings.

He wiped the tears away, but they just kept coming. He stumbled towards Sakura and Kakashi, his thoughts in a jumble. Nothing made sense. He felt like laughing out loud.

He could feel Kakashi looking at him. But it didn't matter. He knelt before Sasuke, and looked at his face, eyes staring into the sky.

"I'm sorry." Sakura sobbed, he hadn't noticed her kneeling besides him, but then he hadn't noticed much besides his face.

"I'm sorry I lied to you, I'm sorry I killed him. I'm..." She babbled, tears still running down her face.

She was sorry? He made her kill him. He made...

It didn't matter, she didn't want to hear that, looking at her, her eyes begging him to forgive her.

But he didn't blame...

He looked away, he did, he did blame her. She killed Sasuke, if she hadn't if she had believed in him.

He looked at her again. But why should she? Why should she believe in him when he, himself had doubts?

And besides, he looked down at Sasuke and reached out. Besides, so many people were to blame here. So many past grudges, so much hate.

He closed Sasuke's eyes gently. He would stop it. He wouldn't let that hate conquer him, or her. She had loved Sasuke, and still forced herself to kill him. He didn't need to understand it. Not now, later, when he could think again. When his thoughts didn't tumble over themselves.

He looked Sakura in the eyes. She was watching him, still crying, fear in her eyes. And need, that desperate need for forgiveness, for him to say it was ok.

So he smiled. It was weak, he was sure of that. A weak shaky thing of a smile, but she returned it. And then she fell into his arms, sobbing on his shoulder, instead of Kakashi's. And he couldn't stop himself sobbing as well.

"It's alright." He whispered. "You did the right thing." Even if it wasn't the best, or even close.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She repeated, again and again.

"We'll make it better." He said. "We'll make sure this doesn't have to happen ever again." He pushed her back and looked her in the eyes.

As he said it, he stopped crying, Sakura too. Instead she looked at him in... wonder?

Then she looked at Sasuke, her features firmed, and she nodded.

"Yes, let's make sure," she looked at him again. "Let's make sure nobody has to suffer like that, like him ever again." He nodded, a grim smile on his face.

The pain was still there, and he rather doubted, that they would ever succeed. But that wasn't important, they would try, they would make the world a better place. And as long as they lived they wouldn't let something like this repeat itself.

"Yes. We'll make sure of that."


End file.
